Properties and Applications of PDMS for Biomedical Engineering: A Review

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is an elastomer with excellent optical, electrical and mechanical properties, which makes it well-suited for several engineering applications. Due to its biocompatibility, PDMS is widely used for biomedical purposes. This widespread use has also led to the massification o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Inês Miranda, Andrews Souza, Paulo Sousa, João Ribeiro, Elisabete M. S. Castanheira, Rui Lima, Graça Minas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-12-01
Series:Journal of Functional Biomaterials
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4983/13/1/2
Description
Summary:Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is an elastomer with excellent optical, electrical and mechanical properties, which makes it well-suited for several engineering applications. Due to its biocompatibility, PDMS is widely used for biomedical purposes. This widespread use has also led to the massification of the soft-lithography technique, introduced for facilitating the rapid prototyping of micro and nanostructures using elastomeric materials, most notably PDMS. This technique has allowed advances in microfluidic, electronic and biomedical fields. In this review, an overview of the properties of PDMS and some of its commonly used treatments, aiming at the suitability to those fields’ needs, are presented. Applications such as microchips in the biomedical field, replication of cardiovascular flow and medical implants are also reviewed.
ISSN:2079-4983